Surprisingly healthy fast food menu items

Fast food deserves its share of criticism. Most menu items from Burger King, McDonald’s, Chipotle, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell are made with processed ingredients, excess fats, and little nutritional value. Their burgers, burritos, and French fries are low in fiber and high in salt, and they leave you and your stomach unsatisfied.

Click here for the Surprisingly Healthy Fast Food Menu Items slideshow.

Fast-food chains have become such a perceived problem in the United States that lawmakers have been restricting their ability to market products directly to children. These billion-dollar corporations also don’t take kindly to public criticism. McDonald’s is particularly famous for suing activists who speak out against its food and company practices.

Fortunately, the era of unhealthy fast food is slowly being phased out and replaced: Fast-food chains are now actively responding to customers’ requests for healthier menu items. Instead of just offering a skimpy side salad to (pretend to) appeal to healthy-eaters, fast-food chains now take pride in offering low-fat and low-calorie sandwiches, wraps, nuggets, and various other meals. Healthy options are growing in popularity - even though they could be more clearly defined sometimes. You could actually eat fast food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and still eat nutritiously. Here are 15 fast-food meals that are actually healthy.

Michael Serrur also contributed to this story.